On Monday, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, a bill authorizing an increase of over 15,000 troops as well as a long-overdue pay raise for soldiers. The military spending package includes $717 billion for national defense in the next fiscal year, according to the White House.

The additional soldiers will be divvied up this way: 487,500 for the Army, 335,400 in the Navy, 186,100 in the Marine Corps, and 329,100 in the Air Force.

In addition, $7.6 billion will fund 77 F-35 fighter jets and $24.1 billion for the building of 12 new battle force ships.

The White House authorized a 2.6% pay raise for soldiers, terming it “the largest pay raise in nine years.”

President Trump, who signed the bill during a visit to Fort Drum in upstate New York, stated, “After years of devastating cuts, we are rebuilding our military like we never have before. Our bases and vital equipment were allowed to fall into a state of disrepair … but those days are over.”

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